I hit the internet last weekend to help overcome a difficulty spike in Clash of Clans. It was during that search that I discovered that this old but iconic mobile game has made billions. It begged the question, what other multi-billion dollar games are there, and how well have they aged?
1 Honor of Kings (Tencent Games, 2015)
Honor of Kings is an immensely popular Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) that’s dominated the market in China for nearly a decade. Tencent Games (also the developer of PUBG: Mobile in China) tried to take it global once before, with a moderately successful version called Arena of Valor.
While Arena of Valor made a respectable showing, it fell far short of expectations. It’s possibly because the game was changed too much in an attempt to make it more relatable to a global audience. The game was re-released globally in June of 2024, retaining the Honor of Kings title, and seems to be doing well. This time it has kept the original legendary Chinese folk heroes from the Chinese version.
Did It Age Well?
In my opinion, this game is growing up, not growing old. The logical next step after a game blows up in its home country is to take it global, and that’s what is happening. I downloaded it to research this article and I loved it. That said, it took up nearly 7GB on my old 32GB iPad…
However, I don’t think the large screen is necessary for this game. I have much more space on my Samsung phone and will be installing it there instead. I suspect in another year or two it will be as popular in North America and the EU as it is in China.
2 Candy Crush Saga (King, 2012)
In the US, Candy Crush Saga has a reputation for being a favorite among baby boomers, particularly women. I know of two older ladies who beat the game years ago, although it has long since grown to encompass over 17,000 levels.
According to Levvvel, Candy Crush is primarily targeted at women 25-45, with the average age being 30. 54% of players are women, while just under a quarter of what Levvvel regards as “ultimate gamers” have engaged with the title. The game definitely seems to appeal to casual gamers. The game has steadily been losing active users since 2017 but still makes over a billion dollars a year.
Did It Age Well?
If it were a person I’d say they hadn’t aged at all. This is the same match-three game we all remember it to be. Despite being part of their target demographic, I haven’t played since the height of its popularity. However, once I downloaded it again I was easily able to find my old account. Apparently, I’d made it to level 330. That level was much easier than I remember, and so were the next few levels. I guess in a game of 17 thousand levels, level 330 is now considered early-game.
There were too many bright flashes for my taste. Were the explosions always this bright or am I just a decade older? I found an option to turn off “Flashing effects” in the settings under “Accessibility.” It’s still the high-quality game it was, but the novelty has worn off a bit for me.
I think there will always be a place for Candy Crush among casual gamers looking to keep their brain busy while streaming or shut their brain off before bed. It hasn’t changed much from 2015, and I don’t think it should.
3 PUBG Mobile (LightSpeed & Quantum Studio, Tencent Games, 2018)
PUBG Mobile is a mobile adaptation of Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds, a free-to-play battle royale shooter that originated as a PC game. The gameplay of the PC version was the inspiration behind Fortnite, and many aspects of the gameplay are the same.
The mobile game was first released in 2018 in China, where the PC version was already wildly popular. The North American version of the mobile game was released in 2019 and surged in popularity over the pandemic year. It continues to be popular around the world.
Did It Age Well?
I played this game for the first time to research this article and I was surprised by how much loved it. I was not confident I’d be able to master the controls on an iPad considering I’m more of a console gamer, but it was no trouble. I couldn’t try out Fortnite mobile to compare the two mobile experiences because Fortnite on iOS is only available in the EU. I thought about cloud gaming, but I think that would be an unfair comparison since PUBG Mobile is a dedicated mobile version.
I think it’s aged well, but it would be nice if there were options for quicker matches. I’d suggest a smaller map with eight teams and a minimal starting loadout. As it is, a single round averages 30 minutes, which is a long commitment for a mobile game when not in pandemic lockdown. I’m also suspicious that at least part of its success is due to the absence of that other popular battle royale shooter in the App Store.
4 Monster Strike (Mixi, 2013)
Monster Strike is, by most accounts, a fantastic Japanese RPG-style physics game that allows players to collect monsters and use them to battle. Players solve puzzles, engage in turn-based strategy, and team up via cooperative online multiplayer.
Released in 2013, it reached the height of its popularity around 2015 when a Nintendo 3DS version and an anime series were released for it in Japan. In Japan, the game has been a resounding success as fans eagerly await the release of new monsters, major game and franchise collaborations, and limited-time events.
Did It Age Well?
Monster Strike’s global debut is considered to be a prime example of how mismanagement can cause a developer to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory. In North America, most free games that have a “pay to win” option guarantee at least some advantage. Monster Strike‘s global version would allow players to buy more opportunities to win monsters, but there was no guarantee they would be top-tier.
This led to massive organized cheating rings that would systematically exploit “refer a friend” bonuses by rapidly adding and removing friends. Rather than adjust the game’s pay structure to allow players to buy powerful monsters, or restructure its referral programs, Monster Strike disabled online multiplayer.
This left only a local co-op option. Local co-op for mobile games was popular in Tokyo, one of the most populous cities in the world. However, restricting players to local co-op practically disabled the multiplayer aspect of the game in North America. By 2017, Monster Strike was no longer available or supported outside of Japan, where it remains popular.
Monster Strike is a successful game, but I would argue it did not age well due to mismanagement of its global launch. That said, mobile games can be re-released globally after a first-time fail. Let’s hope one day we get Monster Strike again!
5 Clash of Clans (Supercell, 2013)
Clash of Clans was a cash cow almost from the moment it launched until its popularity peaked in 2015. It’s still considered successful, but its revenue has steadily declined since 2021. That said, it still has at least 150 million active users per month and makes at least $1 million USD per day in revenue according to Levvvel.
Did It Age Well?
I discovered this game in 2017 but became bored with the long upgrade times. I got around this by managing 3 accounts. I still manage all 3, but I just check in once a month or less unless something catches my attention. The main difference in the game between now and when I started is reduced upgrade times (no more 10-day upgrades!). It has also dramatically increased in complexity.
Within the last 5 years, I’ve made Clash of Clans accounts for each of my kids as they have shown interest. We don’t pay to win, but we have our own clan and still find plenty of value in the game. However, If I wasn’t already a loyal CoC player, I can’t imagine we’d start it now.
There are so many other strategy games like this that are more exciting. I don’t think it has kept up with the competition, but I’ve already invested so much time into it. I’ll likely stick with them until they shut down regardless of how it ages.
There are over 30 mobile games that have made over $1 billion in revenue as of year-end 2023. Due to the prevalence of high-grossing apps, there seems to be a significant margin of error in revenue reporting depending on how the statistics are calculated.
Therefore, there is some variance among the different rankings of the highest-grossing mobile games. I believe I have the correct top 5. However, an argument could be made for Monopoly Go, Pokemon Go, and Puzzles & Dragons too.
